Stop Chasing the School Belle, My Shy Deskmate is Sweet and Soft - Chapter 21

Xia Tian and Wang Yunfan played several rounds of dice.

To ensure Wang Yunfan and those who came after him believed they could actually win free fruit platters, Xia Tian purposely let Wang win a round or two.

Seeing that they could indeed win free fruit platters, everyone eagerly pulled out their money to play the dice game with Xia Tian.

After about twenty rounds, Xia Tian had only given away five fruit platters but had already earned over a hundred yuan.

As for Wang Yunfan and his friends, they were no longer playing just to get free fruit platters.

It had turned into a contest of pride—none of them wanted to lose.

Each of them started competing to see who could win the most fruit platters.

As they gathered around, their loud voices and cheers attracted more people, both from the nearby park and the basketball court.

Soon, a crowd formed, curious about the commotion and what was written on the small chalkboard displayed at Xia Tian’s stand.

After watching two rounds, people were eager to join in, lining up with their money for a chance to play dice with Xia Tian.

“This is great! I could win for free!”

“Kid, I’m going to teach you a lesson today and show you how tough the real world is!”

“Free stuff? This young fella is too naive…”

Everyone thought playing dice was so easy. With their luck, they were sure they could win free fruit platters!

Fang Yu could barely keep up with collecting the money.

His grin was so wide it looked like it couldn’t be wiped off, no matter what.

“Whoa, slow down, big brother! One at a time, please!”

“Everyone, line up! There’s plenty of fruit platters, and everyone will get a chance!”

“Wait, man, you don’t want to roll the dice? You just want to buy a fruit platter outright? Oh gosh, that’s heartbreaking…”

Fang Yu was busy collecting money from the participants.

Meanwhile, Xia Tian was handling the dice game.

His dice-rolling skills were so advanced that he pretended to be clumsy on purpose.

The people who lost each round just thought they had bad luck. None of them suspected that Xia Tian could completely control the outcome of the dice rolls.

As more and more people gathered around, the fruit platters quickly sold out.

Two hours later, only about ten fruit platters remained.

But the crowd continued to grow, with more people eager to join in, handing over their money to participate in the game.

Among those attracted were elderly park-goers who had been out for a stroll.

Even they couldn’t resist joining in on the fun, handing over money just to enjoy the experience.

In cases like those, Xia Tian would intentionally lose a few rounds, letting them win one or two fruit platters for fun.

However, when it came to customers who seemed well-off, Xia Tian didn’t hold back, winning round after round.

By 4:30 p.m., all 200 fruit platters had been sold.

Xia Tian promptly put away the dice and cheerfully announced to the crowd:

“Thank you, everyone! Big brothers, big sisters, uncles, aunties, grandpas, and grandmas… We’ve sold out of fruit platters for today. That’s all for now!”

Many of those who hadn’t had a chance to play were disappointed.

“Why did you only prepare this many? Business is booming—you should’ve brought more!”

“Exactly! I just won a box, and now you’re telling me it’s over?”

“Little bro, when will you be back? I want to play again!”

Fang Yu, overwhelmed by the enthusiasm, didn’t know how to handle the situation, so he instinctively looked to Xia Tian for help.

Xia Tian, however, remained calm and collected. He continued packing up while explaining to the crowd with a smile.

“I understand that everyone loves the fruit platters, but we buy the freshest fruit from the market. If we prepare too much at once, it might go bad, and that would affect the taste. So please be patient.”

“It’s 4:30 now. Give us some time to restock. We’ll be back by 7 p.m. sharp. Same spot, we won’t let you down!”

Hearing this, the crowd finally dispersed, agreeing to return later that evening.

They promised to win all the fruit platters next time.

Xia Tian nodded with a grin, quickly packing up with Fang Yu before heading out.

—

After leaving Qingshui Park, Fang Yu kept counting and recounting the money in his hands, his eyes practically glowing with excitement.

“Little Tian! Do you know how much we just made? We sold 170 boxes directly and only gave away 30 for free!”

“We made a total of 850 yuan! Subtracting the 120 yuan we spent on costs, we made a pure profit of 730 yuan in just two hours. Two hours! I can’t believe it…”

Fang Yu was in disbelief at how successful their business had been.

Even though he had listened to Xia Tian’s plan the day before, Fang Yu had assumed it would take at least six or seven hours to sell all 200 fruit platters.

But to his surprise, they had sold out in just two hours.

And the best part? They had customers lining up, eager to buy more!

Fang Yu was convinced that if they had another 100 fruit platters, they could’ve sold those within another hour.

Fang Yu couldn’t even imagine the possibilities. If they kept selling like this, they’d make over 20,000 yuan in a month!

That was more than what both of their parents made combined in two months!

But Xia Tian remained calm, unfazed by the success.

“Little Tian, why aren’t you excited? We’re gonna make it big!”

Xia Tian glanced at Fang Yu and couldn’t help but chuckle. “Look at you, getting all worked up over a few hundred yuan. It’s not like we made hundreds of thousands—why are you so excited?”

“Of course I’m excited! Other than the red envelopes I get during the New Year, I’ve never seen this much money in my life!”

Xia Tian smiled. In Fang Yu’s shoes, his excitement was understandable.

After all, Xia Tian had already lived through one lifetime, during which he successfully built his company and took it public.

He wouldn’t get excited over a few hundred or even a few million.

Maybe if the profits were in the billions, then his heart might skip a beat.

Fang Yu scratched his head, suddenly remembering something Xia Tian had said earlier.

“But Little Tian, we’re selling fruit platters and making money, so why lie to the customers? Those fruits weren’t exactly the freshest, but you told everyone they were. Isn’t it wrong to run a business with a guilty conscience?”

Fang Yu, still young and innocent at heart, didn’t fully understand the unspoken rules of business.

Xia Tian smacked him lightly on the back of the head. “You can always make more money, but without a conscience, you’ll make even more!”

Fang Yu’s eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Xia Tian.

Seeing Fang Yu’s hesitation, Xia Tian continued his lecture.

“You’re so naive. The fruits we bought weren’t bad—just a bit ugly. Who said they weren’t fresh?”

“Besides, if I didn’t say they were fresh, those older customers would start questioning why we’re selling them so cheaply. Out there, a single fruit platter costs at least eight yuan!”

Fang Yu’s expression grew conflicted. “But my mom says…”

Xia Tian cut him off impatiently. “Enough about what your mom says. Your mom’s mom’s advice doesn’t matter either! You need to wake up. Now go take a dump and clear your head. Then, toss your conscience aside and get to work. Do what I taught you yesterday—take 300 yuan and go buy more fruit. Then get some plastic containers to pack them in.”

“But this time, don’t cut the fruit yourself. We’re running out of time. After you buy the fruit, take it to a restaurant and slip the chef a hundred yuan to cut everything up and pack it for you.”

“Oh, and don’t forget—rent a tricycle to bring everything here. Your old bike won’t be able to carry that many boxes.”

“I’ll meet you here at 7 p.m.”

After giving Fang Yu all these instructions, Xia Tian turned to leave.

Fang Yu, anxious, quickly called out, “Wait, all of this is my job? What are you going to do?”

“I’m picking up Ye Ningyu. She’s helping us tonight.”

Fang Yu immediately protested, “What the heck! Why am I stuck doing all the dirty work while you get to go on a date?”

Xia Tian raised an eyebrow at him.

After a long pause, he finally spoke.

“Fine, how about this—you collect the money, and I’ll roll the dice tonight?”

“…”

“Godfather, what are you saying? Please, go ahead! Hurry and pick up Little Ye~”

Rolling his eyes at Fang Yu, Xia Tian took 100 yuan from him, hopped on his bike, and headed toward Ye Ningyu’s neighborhood.

—

Meanwhile, Ye Ningyu couldn’t calm herself at home.

The thought of going out with Xia Tian at 5 p.m. made her face heat up with excitement.

“What do I do… Xia Tian… I’ll be seeing him soon.”

“This is the first time we’re going out together…”

Ye Ningyu shyly covered her face, unable to contain her excitement, even though she hadn’t seen Xia Tian yet.

Chen Lan, Ye Ningyu’s mother, noticed her daughter’s odd behavior.

Ever since Ye Ningyu’s father had passed away, Chen Lan hadn’t seen her daughter show much emotion.

But today was different—Ye Ningyu seemed unusually excited.

Concerned, Chen Lan poked her head out of the room.

“Little Yu, are you going out soon?”

“Ah! Yes… Mom, I’m going out with a classmate,” Ye Ningyu stammered, startled like a little bunny.

Hearing this, Chen Lan’s worries vanished.

“So she’s going out with a classmate? No wonder she’s so excited. Ever since she transferred schools, she hasn’t made any new friends. I’m so relieved she’s finally made some friends.”

Chen Lan smiled warmly.

She thought for a moment, then reached under her pillow, pulling out a crumpled 50-yuan bill that had clearly been saved for a long time.

“Little Yu, take this money with you. Don’t be so frugal when you’re out with friends. Spend it when you need to. You’ve finally made some new friends, so don’t let being too thrifty put a strain on your friendships.”

“I… I don’t need…”

Ye Ningyu wanted to refuse the money.

She knew Xia Tian wasn’t the type to look down on her just because she didn’t have much money.

But then she remembered how Xia Tian had been buying her things recently.

Suddenly, her refusal caught in her throat, and she swallowed her words.

She wanted to buy Xia Tian a small gift…

But she was well aware of her family’s financial situation.

This 50 yuan had been saved by her mom, who painstakingly cut paper crafts for others to earn a little extra income.

If she didn’t spend this money, they could use it to have a nicer meal at the end of the month.

With that thought, Ye Ningyu lowered her head, her eyes glistening with tears.

She silently vowed to herself that she would only eat one meal a day for the next few days, so she could save up and buy something nice for her mom.

“Th-Thank you, Mom…”

“Silly child, no need to thank me. Go on now, don’t keep your friends waiting.”

Chen Lan smiled as she tucked the money into Ye Ningyu’s pocket.

After Ye Ningyu left, Chen Lan suddenly began coughing violently. Panicked, she quickly grabbed a tissue and covered her mouth.

Glancing up to make sure Ye Ningyu was gone, Chen Lan removed the tissue from her mouth.

The once white tissue was now stained bright red with blood.

Without hesitation, Chen Lan tucked the bloodstained tissue into a plastic bag hidden beneath the bed.

The plastic bag was already filled with tissues just like the one she had just added.

—

As Xia Tian rode his bike, he spotted a familiar figure standing near the entrance to Ye Ningyu’s neighborhood.

The figure stood timidly, head lowered. Xia Tian recognized her immediately as Little Ye.

A playful idea popped into Xia Tian’s head, and he parked his bike at another entrance to the neighborhood.

Xia Tian sneaked behind Little Ye, gently covering her eyes with his hands.

Deliberately lowering his voice to sound rough, he said,

“Guess who I am?”